Eladrin (High Elves)

The Eladrin are true elves, the first to be encountered by Humans and Warborn. They are cousins to the Elves of Jotun, though the two races have split apart so long ago that they appear to be entirely different species. They are a beautiful, cruel people, who smile charmingly even as they watch you die in agony. The only hint at their true nature is through their eyes, which appear at once dead and possessed with a monstrous hunger. That, and the corpses strewn and sculpted artfully across their hives. To be fair, if you're deep enough into their caverns to witness this, you're either a corpse already or about to become one. Their entire species is defined by their potent illusory powers, with which they project enchanting fantasies to draw in prey.

Basic Information

Anatomy

To any onlooker, Eladrin are achingly beautiful and graceful, this is not their true forms. Their true appearance more closely resembles an emaciated, very tall Forest Elf. Their skin is thick and almost looks made of tiny stone scales, stretched over their bony forms, and upon closer observation is covered in tiny sharp ridges. Touching it will result in abrasions at the very least. Too-long arms end in large clawed hands, and their mouths are monstrous caverns filled with row after row of teeth. One must remember that this is never typically seen by onlookers, who only see the wondrous fantasy the Eladrin naturally project, and is only visible when observing their corpses.

Ecology and Habitats

Amongst the deserts and badlands of southern Dioclesia, massive mounds jut out of the ground. In these, the Eladrin make their hives, with thousands of individuals making their homes in the caverns. The sheer concentration of projections combine into what seems like a mystical, ever-shifting oasis to the traveler who stumbled onto a hive. It is taught across the empire that seeing this means you are in extreme danger, and must head in the opposite direction as fast as possible.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Eladrin are carnivorous, preying on sapient species by fooling them with their paradisaical projections and luring them within reach of their claws. They emit a mix of pheromones to lower the inhibitions of their targets and make them less suspicious of the imperfections and logical inconsistencies within their projections.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Eladrin are storied to read the minds of their prey in order to fool them with their false realities, but the truth is that their fantasies are spun from what the Eladrin themselves observe of their prey. Natural selection is also believed to help them make their fantasies more attractive to sapient races.

Scientific Name

Eloi Sapiens Altum

Conservation Status

Most nations allow contracts for Eladrin hunters, and encourage killing them on sight, though this is much easier said than done.